The American Library Association has selected the book “Sundogs and Sunflowers: Folklore and Folk Art of the Northern Great Plains” for a national “Notable” award. The volume was compiled and edited by Timothy J. Kloberdanz, professor emeritus of sociology and anthropology, and Troyd A. Geist, North Dakota Council on the Arts folklorist and an NDSU alumnus.

In fall 2011, the North Dakota Library Association awarded the book first place at its annual conference. The book then was sent to the American Library Association for consideration and voting at the national level. Criteria for selection included the “exceptional quality” and “usefulness” of the nominated books and government documents that were submitted.

Among the American Library Association judges were librarians from the University of Florida, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University and Stanford University.

“We were quite pleased to have this book selected at the statewide level last fall,” Kloberdanz said. “Now we are even more elated to learn of its recognition at the national level by the ALA. Troyd and I always felt our region’s folklore was ‘notable’ and worth preserving. But now recognition has come from well beyond our state’s borders. That feels great and it should make all of us prairie folk very proud.”

The American Library Association, based in Chicago and Washington, D.C., is the oldest and largest library organization in the world and has a membership of about 60,000.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education

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